Oregon Public Broadcasting

A public elementary school in Seattle is closed for a week because one of its students may have swine flu.

Jeff Duchin is in charge of communicable disease control for Public Health Seattle-King County.  He says Wednesday, they thought the boy had been free of symptoms the last time he had been to school at Madrona K-8.

Jeff Duchin:  “We then received additional information working in collaboration with Seattle Schools that perhaps he was here during a time when he was symptomatic.  We thought it was better to err on the side of caution.  We thought it would be best to close the school.”

Duchin spoke at a press conference Thursday morning at Madrona K-8 in Seattle’s Central District.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should know whether the boy has swine flu in a few days.

Duchin says he knows of no other probable swine flu cases at the school.  Madrona K-8 is scheduled to re-open next Thursday.